Matters
Here is where I write about the things I care about — deeply, honestly, unapologetically.
The issues that keep me thinking, the questions that keep returning, the truths I refuse to stay silent about.
Here lie the things that matter to me.
Maybe they matter to you, too.
“When the Cranes no longer find their way home”
Rapid development, unchecked infrastructure expansion, unregulated resource extraction, and growth pursued at all costs have left many ecosystems severely damaged. As nature becomes depleted, the natural “shields” that once protected us grow increasingly fragile in the face of climate shocks.
We speak often about development, about increasing GDP, about green growth—but perhaps this is the moment to revisit a more fundamental question: How are we growing, and does that path truly safeguard the achievements our country has worked so hard to build?
Vietnam has gained so much, yet has lost just as much; and at times, the price we pay is even greater than the economic progress we celebrate.
GDP is higher, but are we healthier?
The rise of obesity in Vietnam is a cautionary tale of unintended consequences.
The country’s sprint from bicycles to BMWs, from $2 pho to $4 Frappuccinos, has lifted millions into the middle class – but it has also introduced the maladies of affluence.
Left unchecked, today’s dietary excesses could become a drag on tomorrow’s growth, as mounting healthcare costs and reduced productivity weigh down the economy. The economic boom that added protein to Vietnamese diets must not end in a public health bust that pads hospital bills.
Hanoi’s leaders, prideful of their 8% growth, now face the unenviable task of trimming a different kind of fat.